Okay, I know I said I wouldn't be able to update again until next week, but you know when you wake up with an idea and you just kinda lie there in bed thinking about it for a while. Yeah, that's what kinda happened and now I'm afraid that if I wait I'll forget the nice way I worked everything out in my head. Anyway, there will be one more chapter after this to sorta wrap things up. It's kind of a flashback chapter but not really, you'll just have to wait and see what I mean. Judging from the reviews I got, I'm going to be bludgeoned to death in the street if I don't write this now, so here ya go. ON WITH THE FIC!

(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)(xxx)

Yukina and Shiori suddenly appeared in the door to the bathroom, worry etched on both their faces.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Shiori asked, though from the liquid on the floor she had a pretty good idea.

"It's time," was all Kurama said, still holding tightly to his mate.

"Now?" Yukina squeaked. "But, the storm, we can't leave." Kurama looked up at her and then back to Hiei in thought.

"Mother," he turned to face her, "Call Genkai. See if there is anyway she can get here." She nodded and hurried to the phone. He turned to the Koorime staring worriedly at her brother. "Yukina, go to the bedroom. See if you can find a long shirt." She nodded as well and was gone.

"Hiei," he turned to the distressed fire demon. "Are you alright, any more contractions?" Hiei shook his head. "We're going to go to the bedroom so you can lie down, alright?" Hiei nodded and let Kurama lead him to the bedroom. When they got there Yukina had just found a suitable shirt.

"Was this what you wanted, Kurama?" she asked, holding it up. He smiled at her.

"Yes, Yukina, that will do nicely. Thank you." He held the shirt to Hiei. "Can you change into this? I can help you if you like." Hiei growled and snatched the shirt, some of his normal demeanor returning.

"I'm not an invalid. I can dress myself," he muttered. Kurama smiled wider glad to see the half-Koorime acting more like himself. Yukina politely left while her brother changed. When she returned she had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing. The shirt fell past his knees and made him look like a small child. He gave her a halfhearted glare. He wouldn't tolerate being laughed at, even by his sister.

Another contraction racked his body and he sat on the bed, gripping the sheets and waiting for it to pass. It still hurt, but at least he had been expecting it this time. Kurama sat next to him, trying to comfort him. When it passed Hiei released the sheets, sighing.

"I'm afraid the snow's even worse in the mountains. Genkai is completely snowed in," Shiori announced, entering the room. She sat on Hiei's other side, covering his hand with hers.

"How are you doing?" she asked. He looked up at her contemplating a response. How was he doing? Did he even know? The best answer was probably somewhere between annoyed and terrified. Shiori always could read emotions as well as Kurama. Gently she wrapped her arms around him.

"It will be alright, I promise. It will all be alright," she assured him. He surrendered to her embrace, not saying anything, just needing to be held. He stiffened, whimpering slightly as a third contraction ripped through is abdomen.

"Hiei?" Shiori looked down at him, worried.

"Another one?" Kurama asked, more to himself then anyone else. "That was only three minutes apart." The room was silent, its occupants absorbing those words.

"Oniisan," Yukina said when her brother had relaxed again. "Genkai's been training me for this. I think…I think she knew something like this was going to happen and she wouldn't be here." She took his hand in both of hers. "I'll do my best. I swear you'll be alright." He blinked for a moment before he understood. Of course, she was Koorime. She knew why he was worried. He almost sighed. So then everyone knew. Somehow, though, it made him feel better that they all knew and had all promised him to do their best to assuage his fears.

"Thank you," he smiled at his sister. She beamed back.

"Now," she said, "if the contractions are that close I think you should lie down." He nodded. Shiori arranged the pillows on the bed so he was in a half sitting position. No sooner had he gotten comfortable then another burst of pain made him grit his teeth. Yukina parted his legs and Hiei blushed, but she was very professional about it.

"You're almost fully dilated," she said quietly. Hiei swallowed nervously, the anxiety mounting. It wouldn't be long now. He cast his eyes about the room, trying to put his mind on something else. He noticed a present that had been hidden in the closet. Yukina had undoubtedly found it while searching for a shirt. He suddenly began to laugh, remembering what day it was.

"Hiei?" Kurama looked at his mate curiously, wondering what was so funny.

"Don't you know what today is?" Hiei asked, turning to smile at his mate. He had meant to give the gift to Kurama tonight, but apparently their plans had changed. In truth, he rather liked this ningen holiday. It was an excuse to spend "quality time" with his fox.

"March fourteenth?" Kurama asked, obviously missing the significance of the date. Though, his mate was currently in labor so it was understandable.

"It's White Day," Hiei laughed. Kurama blinked and then began to laugh as well.

"I completely forgot," he admitted when his laughter subsided. He kissed his mate's forehead gently. "I couldn't think of a more perfect day for our child to be born on."

Hiei was about to agree when his smile vanished to be replace with a grimace. He squeezed his eyes shut. The pain was getting worse, if that was possible.

"Oniisan," Yukina called from the foot of the bed. "I need you to push."

Hiei hesitated. This was it, the part he had been dreading. His energy was going to start dropping as soon as he started pushing. It was already low from the child and lack of sleep. Shiori took one of his hands, Kurama the other. The both squeezed gently. Hiei glanced at them both before taking a deep breath.

The pain escalated and he cried out, fists clenching until he was sure he would break the hands holding his. He could feel his energy slipping away but was too engulfed in pain to try and hold onto it.

"That's it. That's it," Yukina encouraged him. "Come on, Oniisan. You can do it."

Hiei panted for a few moments before taking another deep breath. Again the pain and again he could feel the loss of his energy. He was drowning in pain. His head throbbed. His vision blurred and black teargems littered the bedspread. He nearly collapsed forward, Kurama catching him just in time.

"It hurts…" Hiei whimpered. Sweat drenched him and he had gone pale. He was shaking, unable to stop the tremors.

"Shh…You're almost there. Just a little longer, Hiei," Kurama whispered. He wiped the sweat from the half-Koorime's forehead.

"I can see the head," Yukina announced. "Just one more push, Oniisan."

Hiei shook his head wearily. "I can't…"

"You can," Shiori laid a hand on his shoulder. "I know you can."

"Just one more, Hiei," Kurama kissed his forehead.

Hiei closed his eyes for a moment. Pushing Kurama's supporting arms away he sat up on his own. Gripping the sheets tightly, he took one last deep breath. Pain was all he felt. If he had had any energy left he surely would have spontaneously combusted. He felt as though he was being ripped in half. He cried out one final time and then he pitched forward again, managing to catch himself this time. He didn't know whether he still felt pain or not, his whole body had gone numb. His ears were ringing. He couldn't hear anything around him. His vision was so warped he could hardly see.

Kurama knelt down, looking up at his mate's bowed face. Hiei was unbelievably pale. His eyes had become dull and Kurama could barely hear his shallow breaths. Hiei's lips were moving, but the redhead couldn't hear what he was saying.

"What?" he moved closer to hear better. "Hiei, what are you trying to say? I can't hear you." Hiei blinked and a single, blood red teargem fell. The crimson jewel stood out starkly amidst the surrounding black ones. He strained his ears to catch Hiei's faint words.

"….I'm…sorry…" Hiei's eyes slipped closed and he suddenly collapsed.

"Hiei!" Kurama jumped up, catching his mate. The sound of a crying baby didn't even register in his ears as he hugged the limp fire demon desperately. "Hiei? Hiei! Wake up!" Tears were cascading down his face now. "Hiei, please! Don't die! Don't leave me!" He laid his hand on the half-Koorime's chest, feeding Hiei his energy and praying it would revive him. He crushed the smaller body against his, feeling himself growing weaker by the second. He couldn't keep this up much longer. His instincts were awakening it the back of his mind. They wouldn't let him die as well. They refused to let him leave the child parentless.

"Kurama…" the voice was faint but he'd heard it. Looking down he found Hiei staring up at him. His eyes had regained some light and color had returned to his face.

"Hiei…" tears clouded Kurama's vision once more. For a moment he did nothing but stare at his mate. Then he quickly leaned down, capturing the fire demon's lips in a desperate kiss. When they pulled away the fox rested his forehead against Hiei's.

"Hiei, I was so scared. I thought…" he couldn't finish the sentence.

"I know, I thought so too," Hiei whispered. Hiei kissed him again before the two finally drew apart. No sooner had they done so, however, then Hiei was caught in someone else's embrace. Looking up he met Shiori's moist gaze.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked, her voice cracking with emotion. He smiled at her reassuringly.

"Yes, Kaasan, I'm fine." She suddenly smiled at him.

"I believe you hold that title now," she teased. He blanched.

"Over my dead body!" he growled. Laughter filled the room and it was only as Hiei was glaring at the guilty parties that he realized Yukina was holding a screaming baby. His eyes fell on the child wrapped in a towel and he fell silent, an unreadable expression on his face. Yukina noticed his gaze and smiled gently.

"Would you like to meet your daughter?" she asked. He nodded, eyes never leaving the bundle in her arms. She came to the bedside and instructed him on how to properly hold the child before laying the baby in his arms. As she did so she kissed his cheek and whispered, "I'm glad you're alright, Oniisan."

He nodded at her absently, attention fixed exclusively on the baby he held. She fell silent as soon she was fully in his hold. His almond-shaped eyes set in Kurama's heart-shaped face blinked up at him. Her eyes themselves were captivating. Her right eye was his bloody crimson while the left was Youko Kurama's bright amber. Her hair was raven black, though the shape of it took more after Kurama than him, and there were two red highlights on either side just in front of her ears.

He smiled warmly down at her. She was more than worth every second of pain. She was beautiful. She was perfect. She was his daughter and he loved her more than words could say. He felt someone touch his arm and turned to see that Kurama had sat down on the bed next to him.

"May I?" Kurama held his arms out, eager to hold his daughter. Hiei nodded and carefully transferred the baby to the redhead's arms. Kurama gazed down at the child lovingly and Hiei could tell that the fox was thinking all the same things he had thought a moment ago. He sighed and leaned back against the pillows, exhausted.

"So," Shiori couldn't contain herself any longer, "does my granddaughter have a name?"

"Oki," Kurama answered, never taking his eyes from the girl, "our little ember." He nuzzled the child's head gently and she giggled in response.

"Look," Yukina said as she gazed out the window. "It stopped snowing."

"That was probably the last snow of the season," Kurama commented. He lifted his gaze to look at his mate. "I guess there's no escaping it. Koorime children will always be tied to the snow." Hiei grunted but said nothing.

"Oh!" Yukina cried in sudden remembrance. She handed Hiei a towel that had been tied shut as though to hold something. He opened it and was met with a pile of miniature teargems, all emerald in color.

"Your daughter cries teargems," Yukina explained. Hiei picked one up and examined it. The child wasn't even an hour old and already he could see the swirling energy in the gem's depth. This child was going to be very formidable indeed.

"Thank you," he said to Yukina, beginning to gather his own teargems and add them to Oki's. He stopped when he came across the blood red gem. He stared at it for a moment before handing it to Kurama.

"This belongs to her," he said simply. Kurama nodded in understanding, noticing that Hiei was still wearing his own teargems. In fact, Kurama had the very teargem Hiei had left him before going to the Makai those long months ago. It was under his shirt, held in a necklace of vines. Using the same method he had used on his own gem, he let a few vines sneak around the crimson jewel in his hand. They formed a loose sphere, the teargem contained inside. He would never bore a hole in the gem the way Hiei's necklaces had been made. With the energy the gem contained that was a very risky thing to do. Lowering his hand, he let the vines wind behind the child's neck to compete the chain.

Almost immediately he felt a strange ki that could only belong to Oki's reach out and take hold of the vines, insuring they would stay where he had set them. He smiled. The act had surely been done unconsciously but it had been done all the same. Already she was evoking her powers.

He was brought from his thoughts as the child in his arms began to fuss. She tried to twist her head back to look at Hiei, her cries growing louder.

"I think it's time for her first feeding," Kurama said quietly, slightly impressed that she seemed to know it was Hiei who had the milk.

"Of course," Shiori smiled. She kissed the foreheads of both her sons before she left. Yukina too gave her brother a parting kiss on the cheek before leaving as well and closing the door to the bedroom. Hiei sighed as he took the long shirt off.

"I still don't like this idea," he grumbled, taking his daughter back from Kurama. He guided her searching mouth and when she found her target she immediately began to suck. Hiei narrowed his eyes at the strange sensation. After a moment, however, he began to relax and a feeling of peacefulness came over him. His mind went blank and he felt completely at ease. He wondered absently if this was what those ningen Buddhists called Nirvana.

Though he enjoyed the feeling, he was glad when Oki began to blink sleepily and yawn. He was so tired, he just wanted to sleep. When their daughter finally did nod off Kurama took her gently and put a diaper on her before placing her in the crib they had set up in the corner of the room. Returning to the bed he found Hiei already drifting off under the covers. Kurama joined him, hugging the half-Koorime close. Hiei still had a bit of a potbelly but with the fire demon's metabolism that would be gone in a few days. Kurama sighed, burying his nose in raven spikes and slightly missing the pregnancy pheromone that was no longer there.

"Are you happy, Quickfire?" he asked quietly.

"Aren't you?" Hiei asked, opening his eyes.

"Yes," Kurama nodded, kissing his mate. "More happy then I can ever remember being."

Hiei smiled. "I feel the same, fox. Now go to sleep." Kurama chuckled. Yes, Hiei was definitely back to his old self. Though, perhaps that wasn't entirely true. After all, the old Hiei had a lover. The old Hiei didn't have a mate, a daughter, a mother, or a true sister. No, this was a new Hiei, an improvement on the old. Though some things, Kurama mused as he breathed in the old scent of smoke and pine, would never change.